03 Oct Antioch Police Confirm Reported Prowler Was Mountain Lion Wednesday Night

A juvenile mountain lion, in the yard of a home, looks at the Antioch Police Department’s drone on Wednesday. Officers had responded to reports of a prowler heard in the backyard. (Antioch Police Department via Bay City News)

By Tony Hicks
Bay City News

Antioch police responded at 10:40 p.m. Wednesday to a report of a prowler behind their home in the 200 block of William Reed Drive.

The caller wasn’t wrong. The prowler just wasn’t human.

Police discovered the prowler was a young mountain lion after putting a drone in their air to see what was causing the noise.

Police said the cat was about the same size as the neighbor’s adult Rottweiler dog.

Antioch Animal Services said it’s just the latest in a spree of mountain lion sightings — at least five during the past month. The agency said there appears to be at least two big cats in the area.

On Sept. 8, there were two reports around midnight and the early morning hours from Bluecurl Court and Bluebell Circle of a mountain lion in open space in the Hillcrest Park area.

In the early morning hours of Sept. 18, there was a report on from the Tabora Drive/James Donlon Boulevard area of a mountain lion drinking from a pond in a resident’s backyard.

Last Friday morning, there was another report from the Bluecurl Court/Bluebell Circle area of a mountain lion in open space near Hillcrest Park.

On Wednesday morning there was a report from Eagleridge Drive of a mountain lion “lurking” near turkeys near the Mokelumne Trail.

AAS said mountain lion attacks are uncommon and close encounters are usually rare in the area, but it is not unheard of to have mountain lion sightings in the vicinity of trails, easements or the open spaces throughout Antioch.

Chickens, cats and other pets will attract a big cat to one’s yard. Water sources that attract wildlife also attract mountain lions.
AAS recommended that people be vigilant and bring pets in at night. Remove food that attracts community cats and wildlife and ensure trash and fallen fruits are picked up and not attracting critters.

AAS said if someone experiences an attack by a mountain lion, they should call 911. Sightings can be reported to antiochanimalservices@gmail.com and/or The California Department of Fish and Wildlife at askbdr@wildlife.ca.gov.

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